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Most Helpful Favorable Review

118 out of 132 people found this review helpful.

The Dark Years...

I know what your thinking, zombies , seriously zombies???

Max Brooks did an outstanding job on this book!

I picked this book up at the bookstore because of the title "World War Z", once I realized that meant World War Zombie, I threw it down. Next trip to the book...

I know what your thinking, zombies , seriously zombies???

Max Brooks did an outstanding job on this book!

I picked this book up at the bookstore because of the title "World War Z", once I realized that meant World War Zombie, I threw it down. Next trip to the bookstore, this time I read the back of the book, read all the rave reviews there and inside. Still not fullly convinced, I flipped through it, I liked the format Mr. Brooks used and decided to give it a try.

This book is a fun read! It's a WHAT IF ? book, what if zombies were attacking the world and killing everyone or it could be a massive worldwide plague that is making people sick enough to kill?? Any worldwide event, something big enough to affect everyone, what would you do, how would we all survive??

The book is an oral history of World War Z, A narrator goes back and interviews people about their roles in the war. What they saw as it happened, what they thought when they first heard about it, how they survived. The interviews are conducted worldwide.

The book is very, very creative. It took me awhile to read, but it was worth it.

Max Brooks is a good story teller and will definitely keep your attention in this book!

posted by SavageBS on February 28, 2009

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Most Helpful Critical Review

41 out of 95 people found this review helpful.

Where is the suspense

First of all I really wanted to like this book, unfortuantely Brooks uses a writing gimmick of stringing together numerous unrelated vignettes of 3-6 pages that utterly fails to allow the creation of characters we will ever have a chance to care about. Brooks does a fin...

First of all I really wanted to like this book, unfortuantely Brooks uses a writing gimmick of stringing together numerous unrelated vignettes of 3-6 pages that utterly fails to allow the creation of characters we will ever have a chance to care about. Brooks does a fine job in the opening 'chapters.' The discovery of patient zero is horriffing and compelling. However, does he really need to jump to the International Space Station and then to the frozen landscape of Antarctica and then over to a K9 training unit all in the matter of about 15 pages. I would not have minded this as much if Brooks had chosen to revist these scenes but Brooks I believe takes the easy way out by writing simple short short short stories tied together in the same theme. There is no chance for suspense to build. The closest he comes is a fine piece about a Japanese internet shut in trapped on the 19th floor of a high rise. That works. The rest comes close at times but just falls flat.

posted by Anonymous on March 18, 2007

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The Dark Years...

I know what your thinking, zombies , seriously zombies???

Max Brooks did an outstanding job on this book!

I picked this book up at the bookstore because of the title "World War Z", once I realized that meant World War Zombie, I threw it down. Next trip to the bookstore, this time I read the back of the book, read all the rave reviews there and inside. Still not fullly convinced, I flipped through it, I liked the format Mr. Brooks used and decided to give it a try.

This book is a fun read! It's a WHAT IF ? book, what if zombies were attacking the world and killing everyone or it could be a massive worldwide plague that is making people sick enough to kill?? Any worldwide event, something big enough to affect everyone, what would you do, how would we all survive??

The book is an oral history of World War Z, A narrator goes back and interviews people about their roles in the war. What they saw as it happened, what they thought when they first heard about it, how they survived. The interviews are conducted worldwide.

The book is very, very creative. It took me awhile to read, but it was worth it.

Max Brooks is a good story teller and will definitely keep your attention in this book!

118 out of 132 people found this review helpful.

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This isn't real?!

My husband and I listened to this in the car on a trip and there were times where you almost forgot it wasn't a real account. Extremely well written and presented, and just look at the cast of actors who participated! I highly recommend this for any long trips!

41 out of 50 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted March 18, 2007

Where is the suspense

First of all I really wanted to like this book, unfortuantely Brooks uses a writing gimmick of stringing together numerous unrelated vignettes of 3-6 pages that utterly fails to allow the creation of characters we will ever have a chance to care about. Brooks does a fine job in the opening 'chapters.' The discovery of patient zero is horriffing and compelling. However, does he really need to jump to the International Space Station and then to the frozen landscape of Antarctica and then over to a K9 training unit all in the matter of about 15 pages. I would not have minded this as much if Brooks had chosen to revist these scenes but Brooks I believe takes the easy way out by writing simple short short short stories tied together in the same theme. There is no chance for suspense to build. The closest he comes is a fine piece about a Japanese internet shut in trapped on the 19th floor of a high rise. That works. The rest comes close at times but just falls flat.

41 out of 95 people found this review helpful.

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ReaderRick

Posted June 4, 2011

What's all the hubbub?

Why are people calling this the best zombie fiction ever written? It was SO disappointing. This is "an oral history." It's a series of interviews with survivors of the war between zombies and people. Because it's told in the first person and in past tense, there is absolutely no suspense. You know the narrator survives! Plus, each chapter is an interview with a different person. There isn't a character to root for. No one to get to know. The "interviewer" has no personality at all. There are a couple of cool scenes, but then again, the lack of suspense ruins it. I knew the person talking lived to tell the story. A huge disappointment.

23 out of 76 people found this review helpful.

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Brooks Nailed It

A great book with a good balance of grotesque and intellect. It's realistic & unbelievably well-thought-out. Brooks not only indulges our present intrigue of zombies, but brings to life the possibilities & disasters that would come from an actual virus outbreak. These pages involve multiple spooky stories that almost kept me up at night. The one drawback is that there is little to no climax or suspense, but here are surely a few twists & turns.

This book also shows that Brooks has a great grasp on many global cultures, predicting in intensely realistic detail every country's reaction to an outbreak. This book is as much about the world's economic breakdown as it is blood & guts. It reminds us the importance of surpassing petty differences & coming together as one. Whether you're a zombie freak or not, this book gives you something to think about.

22 out of 28 people found this review helpful.

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Thought Provoking!

Fascinating and incredibly original - this story is truly frightening, but not in the zombie/ghoul-sense. This story has little to do with actual zombies and more to do with the ineptitude of governing powers, shortcomings of military efforts, and the general fragility of the human race.

18 out of 18 people found this review helpful.

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ElChupacabra

Posted June 28, 2011

Highly overrated. I guess it helps having a famous father...

I don't understand the praise for this book. I bought it expecting to love it and ended up feeling like it was a chore. It started off great with Patient Zero... then quickly went downhill from there. The stories are so short that it doesn't allow you to connect with the characters. Some of them were interesting, unfortunately they were given the red-headed step-child treatment (2 pages). All the while, a very uninteresting story of a stolen Chinese submarine took up a good 20 pages. I think the author either has a serious case of ADD or just wasn't creative enough to elaborate on a good story. I'm guessing its the latter since his other book is more of the same. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. I know there are many zombie fangirls that will rant and rave about this piece of trash... don't listen to them.

17 out of 58 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted January 12, 2009

I Also Recommend:

This is probably the best book I have ever read, the only other book that compares is also written by Max Brooks, the Zombie Survival Guide.

This book so fun to read, I was upset when I ran out of pages. I finished the book too fast it seems. I loved everything about the book, the way Max Brooks explains his zombies, and how every character in the book was completely believable and real. The book seemed so real and just scared the heck out of me. Best zombie book ever, besides maybe the zombie survival guide also written by him. I can't wait for the recorded attacks to come out from him. Max is a fantastic writer, and his zombies will have you cautious about going outside at night.

17 out of 23 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted April 1, 2012

I Also Recommend:

Great zombie book! I can't wait for the movie.

Great zombie book! I can't wait for the movie.

16 out of 24 people found this review helpful.

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The only zombie book worth reading.

World War Z is more than just a zombie book; it is heavily morale and political assessment of what people would, more than likely, do in such a catastrophe. Each story told made some point to be realistic, and I really do believe in what our governments would do in such a situation. I love the description giving explaining why zombies would be such a difficult enemy to defeat; because they are unlike any enemy we as a race have ever faced. World War Z is a powerful and lasting story about global disaster and the resolve we humans have to outlast such a time. A trully amazing read, that left me thinking for weeks after I finished. I recoment this both to sci-fi fans and those looking for a great clash of morale and polotics. a+.

16 out of 19 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 29, 2012

Awesometastic

Awesome! It really is! I would strongly suggest this if you have a strong appetite for zombies! I was pleasently surprised on how much I loved this book and how much it made me think about what would really happen in a zombie apocalypse. If you liked this book, you need to read Max Brook's "Zombie Survival Guide" for it is also fantastic.

9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted January 25, 2012

Disturbingly realistic

It's honestly terrifying how realistically this book is portrayed. Everything that occurs is something I could see actually occuring in real life. The characters are well drawn; there are heroes, there are villains, but mostly there are people who fall in between. The only thing that prevents me from giving this book a full five stars is the fact that it's a zombie book, yet they play second fiddle to world drama. Zombies are universally horrifying; even in a world culture where autopsies can be seen on primetime (albeit fictional ones) the desecration of our dead is a deeply human fear, but a personal one. The horror of seeing a loved one rise; the fear that it could happen to you. And these things are shown, but not all that frequently. For the majority of the book, you could replace zombies with aliens, swarms of rabid animals, giant insects - and it would not dramatically change the plot. However, if you want to read a worldwide apocalytic novel, then this book is top notch. It illustrates in grim detail a fact I think we are all too aware of - as a species, we are not ready for global disaster.

9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

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Quinnie44

Posted March 22, 2013

This is a zombie book that isn't about zombies. Consider the zom

This is a zombie book that isn't about zombies. Consider the zombie a foil; it is there as a stand-in, a symbol. This is a book about our culture, our world, our reaction (and lack thereof), our humanity (and lack thereof), and our unending will to survive against seemingly insurmountable odds. This book will make you question; it will make you cry; it will make you angry and sad and amazed.

This isn't a book about zombies. This is a book about what happens to humankind after the battle. If you are looking for &quot;28 Days Later&quot; in book form you will undoubtedly be disappointed. This is not that book. If you are looking for something that begins to answer the question of 'How will we survive, and rebuild, and live with the decisions we made that ensured our survival', then this book is for you.

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 19, 2012

T

Great book. All the negative reviews saying "no character development" really didnt get the overall effect

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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cddbrowns

Posted January 26, 2012

Just as detailed and good as the survival manual

Some of these are so realistic, you almost go looking for historical data to see if some of it actually happened. LOL! Amazing book by an amazing author. This has put me on the path of the Zombie genre and I am looking forward to whatever else is in the future with Mr Brooks.

6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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RachealByrd

Posted July 6, 2012

Couldn't put the book down. Some interviews seemed almost real.

Couldn't put the book down. Some interviews seemed almost real. Loved how this book is written -- hard to picture it as a movie though. AWESOME!!

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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smp315

Posted September 25, 2011

Clever new take in the Zombie genre

Very interesting book. I always enjoy works that present classic themes from a fresh perspective. This book does bog down here and there, but overall it's entertaining and thought provoking. I'm curious to see how the book will translate to the movie screen.

Another suggestion for a fresh update on a classic theme: "The Supernaturals" by David L. Golemon. Golemon takes the haunted house story and updates it with a Ghosthunters type TV show planning a live broadcast on Halloween night. The house has an evil past and all hell breaks loose. A friend of mine picked it up at a Horror convention in NY a couple of weeks ago and highly recommends it. I have one coming on pre-order.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted March 22, 2013

Amazing

I have just finished this book and i am speechless. I am im 6th grade but a very advanced reader. As a girl reading sci- novels from my school library i was surprised to see this book. I feel in love with this book it was fantasic. It panits a picure in your mind that is crisp and clear. This book took my breath away and the style of writting in a interview format was very unique.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 7, 2013

I have to agree with some of the reviewers here. The book is re

I have to agree with some of the reviewers here. The book is relatively boring. No characters to root for. No plot. The book is just a bunch of 3 to 5 page short stores. It does a pretty good job at the beginning and middle of the book but the ending is just stupid and anticlimatic. It will be interesting how the movie will turn out.

4 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted July 11, 2012

Amazing!!!

This has to be my favorite book of all time! This has to be Max Brook's best book. It even out does the zombie survival guide if that is possible. I reccomend this book to any zombie fan.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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